Yellow Tusk
"Run to the Hills" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band's third studio album, The Number of the Beast (1982). Credited solely to the band's bassist, Steve Harris, although significant contributions were made by lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, it remains one of their most popular songs, with VH1 ranking it No. 27 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs1 and No. 14 on their list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs.2 A live version of the song, from Live After Death, was released in 1985 and the original single was reissued in 2002, with all income donated to former drummer Clive Burr's MS Trust Fund. In 1990, as part of The First Ten Years box set, both the original and the 1985 live single were reissued on CD and 12" vinyl, combined with "The Number of the Beast" and "Running Free (live)" respectively. Composition Due to his previous band, Samson's, contractual issues, Dickinson could not be credited for any of his contributions made during the writing of The Number of the Beast.3 Although bassist Steve Harris alone receives credit for the song, Dickinson states that he made a "moral contribution" to the song, in addition to "Children of the Damned" and "The Prisoner" from the same album.4 While speaking at the IBM Smarter Business conference in Stockholm on 10 October 2012, Dickinson revealed that parts of the song are based on the "rising sixth", inspired by a documentary he watched which explored why "My Way" was one of the most popular recorded songs.5 Captain Underpants is a children's novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, an aptly named superhero from one of the boys' homemade comic books, that accidentally becomes real when George and Harold hypnotize their ill-tempered principal, Mr. Krupp. Soon after, Mr. Krupp gains superpowers by drinking alien juices. The series includes 12 books and 3 spin-offs, and won a Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Award on April 4, 2006. As of 2016, the series had been translated in over 20 languages,1 with more than 70 million books sold worldwide,1 of that, over 50 million in the United States.2 DreamWorks Animation acquired rights to the series to make an animated feature film adaptation, which is scheduled to be released on June 2, 2017. After the main series concluded with the twelfth novel in 2015, an in-universe spiritual successor, Dog-Man, was released in the following year.3 Themes The song documents the conflict between European settlers in the New World and Native American tribes during the days of colonisation and later westward expansion.67 The song is written from both perspectives,8 covering the Natives' viewpoint in the first verse and the Europeans' in the rest of the song.9 Quick-Spin Nails: Tusk ACT1 grants Johnny's ability to Spin his fingernails at a high speed and shoot them as projectiles that he calls "Tusks", far more precise and powerful than the average bullet. Notably they are capable of carving a tree into a humanoid shape within seconds. Once Johnny shoots a fingernail, they take a short time to grow back. DEVELOPMENTEDIT It appears that Johnny is granted his Stand by the marriage between the power of the Corpse's Left Arm, found in the desert, and Gyro Zeppeli's elementary tutelage in the way of the Spin. APPEARANCEEDIT ACT1 resembles a small, neotenous animal. It was designed with an axolotl in mind.2 Its head is of equal or slightly greater size than its body, and it floats with two short, vague, and inarticulate arms and one such leg. Its posterior is marked somewhat irregularly by small stars, behind which dark circles radiate to their points; while four tendrils droop from the base of its trunk to the approximate length of its leg, bearing heart shapes. On its head, it bears two long, mammalian ears; small, reflective black eyes, under a brow of a troubled angle; a large star at the top of its forehead, behind which a dark circle radiates to its points, and from the center of which a string links with the tip of a cone fastened to the region of its nose. Eight wavering vestiges emanate from its head laterally: Two above; four from its sides, the lower of which, at its cheeks, are also surrounded by a dark circle; and one either side of its chin. PERSONALITYEDIT ACT1 occasionally produces the sound "chumimi~in". TUSK ACT2EDIT Manga Debut: SBR Chapter 43, Silent Way (4) ABILITYEDIT Ten-Aureal Nails: Once Johnny learns to Spin the fingernails with aureal rotation, thus bringing Tusk to his second form, he can shoot fingernails that are significantly more powerful. The holes these shots produces move: if, for example, he shoots and produces a hole on a table, he can move the hole on the surface of the table and whatever touches the table's surface. However, the hole leaves a track behind it as it moves. The holes will aggressively chase any target designated by Johnny. When Johnny shoots a fingernail with aureal rotation, the fingernail takes several minutes to grow back; however, Johnny discovers that by munching herbs or drinking tea, he can accelerate the growing process.3 APPEARANCEEDIT Mechanically, ACT2 possesses small, sturdy torso and arms, greater in proportion to its head. From its head hang two barrel-shaped objects. A barrel-like unit the size of its head is suspended at the base of a short, flat spine. Araki added some elements to make it unclear whether it's animal or machine, like a traditional Stand.2 Kuwabara is first introduced as Yusuke's perpetual opponent, always losing to him, but always returning to try again. After Yusuke's death, a heartbroken Kuwabara crashes his wake, struggling against his friends' attempts to hold him back to reach the casket and calling Yusuke a coward for dying before they had a chance to settle their rivalry once and for all. Two of the high school teachers openly insult Kuwababra's behavior, only for the principal to silence them, saying that Kuwabara is showing more honest emotion at the loss of his rival than either of them. During the early part of the saga, Kuwabara's high Spirit Awareness let him become one of the people that Yusuke could communicate with as a ghost, which allowed him to help Kuwabara pass an exam so that his friend Okubo could keep his job. In the manga only, after Yusuke was temporarily revived for a day, Kuwabara encountered him when he went to rescue Keiko from some thugs and arrived after Yusuke defeated them. After learning what happened, Kuwabara agreed to keep this information from Keiko and take credit for rescuing her (though Keiko pretended to be knocked out and heard everything). Kuwabara later helped save Keiko from Yusuke's burning apartment and when Yusuke needed to be revived through a transfer of life energy through a kiss, Kuwabara ignored the dream due to the sensitivity of the matter, although Keiko ultimately did so in his place. TUSK ACT3EDIT Manga Debut: SBR Chapter 59, A Dream of Gettysburg ABILITYEDIT Through the Hole: By shooting himself with a fingernail Spinning with aureal rotation, Johnny is able to suck his body into the infinite "location" in which the spiral spins into its smallest possible point. Anything other than Johnny's body is destroyed by entering through the infinite hole. Johnny is also able to send a part of his body through the hole, moving it away from his body. This way he can shoot fingernails from different directions, by sending his hands or fingers through the holes. DEVELOPMENTEDIT During the fight against the Stand, Civil War, Johnny, in a moment of deep crisis, sees Jesus, who gives him the hint that leads him to discover the third form of Tusk. APPEARANCEEDIT Although it is distinctly more human in shape, its head is still embedded into its body. ACT3 bears sharp spikes growing from both the underside of each of the three toes of its triangular feet, and two from small, truncated, disc-shaped hands. On dark, spherical shoulders it bears the large, bold outline of a star; and from its upper lip to the rear of its head runs a tall, blade-like protrusion resembling a Mohawk. TUSK ACT4EDIT Manga Debut: SBR Chapter 85, Ball Breaker (3) ABILITYEDIT Infinite Rotation: This Super Spin can pierce through multiple universes, and influence gravity. The damage caused by the rotation is also infinite and will not end unless Johnny were to apply another similar rotation moving the other way, resulting in them cancelling each other out. When hit by one of Johnny's nail bullets, ACT4 imbues targets with infinite Spinning motion, making them Spin internally. That Spin goes on forever and never leaves the person or their Stand, forcing them to return to the place where they were hit, or its equivalent in each parallel dimension. Tusk can move through both D4C's Love Train and can move through THE WORLD's stopped time to reach its target which makes it acausal (unaffected by space or time). Tusk can seemingly open portals through space and travel through them as was shown in Johnny's battle with Diego Brando from another universe. The Spin is also transferable between objects, as the Diego Brando from another universe cut his leg off and threw it to Johnny, transferring the infinite rotation to its user. Another example is when Funny Valentine went into a passing car trying to run away from Tusk, the infinite rotation nearly instantly destroyed it, coming back to Valentine.4 DEVELOPMENTEDIT Johnny unlocks Tusk's fourth and final form after receiving Gyro's fifth lesson. The principle behind the technique derives from the use of the Super Spin, which requires Johnny to allow his horse to run in its "natural state". By doing so, the horse produces rotational energy in the form of the Golden Rectangle and by combining it with Tusk, Johnny is able to release infinite rotational energy. Because Act IV derives from his horse's running power, Johnny is typically only able to use it when on his horse. He can, however, shortcut the process as a last ditch effort, using a Steel Ball to temporarily galvanize his horse's movement. APPEARANCEEDIT ACT4 is of humanoid shape and broad or square build; of articulate legs, arms, hands and fingers. Its head is mounted on front of its chest, and from the bottom of its chest hangs to its ankles a vestment comprising strings of vertical ellipses. like Johnny, it wears a horseshoe on its forehead. The inside of its curtain-like body is hollow, and its face can move around like the Zaku's mono-eye.2 PERSONALITYEDIT Occasionally vocalizing ACT1's "chumimi~in", ACT4 punches while making or inciting Johnny's expression of the Kujo family's "ORA ORA ORA" Stand Cry. Original Blue Tusk Release The song was released as a single on 12 February 1982; more than 5 weeks prior to the album's release on 22 March 1982.10 The single marked Iron Maiden's debut release with new vocalist Bruce Dickinson. "Total Eclipse" was selected as the single's B-side over the song "Gangland", which in turn would appear on the initial version of the album.11 The band later regretted this decision, with Steve Harris commenting, "We chose the wrong track as the B-side. I think if "Total Eclipse" had been on the album instead of "Gangland", it would have been far better."11 The song was added to the The Number of the Beast album when it was remastered in 1998, and was also included in the original Japanese version. It is the second of three single covers featuring Derek Riggs' depiction of Satan, which debuted on "Purgatory" and later appeared on "The Number of the Beast" covers. According to Riggs, the idea behind the original "Run to the Hills" cover was based around the idea of a "power struggle in hell", in which the band's mascot, Eddie, battles Satan with a tomahawk (referencing the song's subject matter).12 Bing Bong Rasengan In 1985, a live version of "Run to the Hills", taken from Live After Death, was released as the band's thirteenth single, along with live versions of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" as its B-sides. According to Riggs, he was asked to paint a cover illustration for both "Run to the Hills" and "Phantom of the Opera" and so the artwork depicts Eddie as the phantom in a hilly landscape.13 Following former drummer Clive Burr's announcement that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis, "Run to the Hills" was released again in 2002 to raise money for the newly established Clive Burr MS Trust Fund.14 Two variations were issued, the original studio version and a live version taken from the Rock in Rio concert, with different B-sides.15 Jotaro is introduced as a rough delinquent, but he has a gentle heart, and is loyal to those he likes. He is highly perceptive, intelligent and quick-witted while keeping a perpetually cool, slightly neutral or disinterested attitude. Jotaro's most noticeable trait is his seemingly aloof nature. He is a quiet individual, often satisfied with expressing himself in short phrases. His bio explains that he thinks anyone can tell his emotions just by looking at him, and probably thinks further effort in portraying how he feels to be a waste of time, making others tend to perceive Jotaro as callous6. Jotaro is both fierce and gentle, showing these traits in various scenes, from the fight with N'Doul, to the encounter with the D'Arbys. One shining example is how he spared Noriaki Kakyoin instead of killing him outright - even putting his own life on the line just to save the young man from DIO's deadly slavery. Despite not being overt about displaying it, Jotaro loves his mother and respects his grandfather Joseph. Jotaro's impetus for going to Egypt is Holy's life being put in danger by DIO's Stand, and he flew into an uncharacteristic rage when the vampire desecrated the corpse of his grandfather, before apologizing to Joseph's spirit (who had previously warned Jotaro not to succumb to anger). During his journey to Egypt, Jotaro has attached himself to his companions, and through several small gestures expressed his friendship toward them, culminating with a hug with a departing Polnareff. Signs of him loosening up were also shown where he occasionally (but not often) smiles, such as when the group make fun of ZZ, and at one point he even laughs alongside Kakyoin and Polnareff upon discovering the Sun's weakness in episode 18. Jotaro doesn't tolerate when one hurts women or children in a fight, even if they are evil, and will be especially violent toward the perpetrator, as seen against Steely Dan, whom he pummeled the most severely. Jotaro is still prone to violence, and doesn't hesitate from severely hurting his enemies, even if they are women. Jotaro is an extremely cool individual, able to keep his composure in even the direst situations. The best example of his coolness would be against Daniel J. D'Arby, playing a dangerous game of poker during which he successfully bluffs the expert poker player into folding even if he didn't know what cards he had and wagered the souls of every companion and ally involved. Still, he is still mildly anxious when something unanticipated happens, but almost never goes as far as to lose his cool. Moreover, Jotaro is blunt and foul-mouthed, having no problem being insolent toward his mother or any authority figure. The teenager favors witty one-liners, often ridiculing whoever is the target of his quips and offering absurd reasons for his feats, notably defeating DIO because he pissed him off. Whether Jotaro does take himself seriously or is just having fun when using his one-liners is left unanswered. Jotaro is interested in a large range of subjects, such as sumo or the TV series Columbo, from which he claims to have acquired his deductive skills. Several hobbies indicate that he has an intellectual side, which would result in him becoming a marine biologist. Jotaro is annoyed by the numerous adoring girls chasing him (both at his school and throughout his journey), whom he ignores or rudely drives away; particularly when they begin to fuss or bicker. However, he is hinted to have a soft spot (or is at least more tolerant) of children. When Anne accompanies them on his journey, he never yells at her and even protects her from enemy Stand Users, and also watches over her in a similar fashion to an older brother. When he takes an ice pop from a young boy, he tells the boy that he will buy him a new one. Another interesting personality quirk of his seems to be an attachment to his clothing. when the female nurse at his school suggested cutting off parts of his pants, he refused. When his clothes were ripped from his fight with ZZ, he went so far as to pay for a uniform exactly like the one he had. When he first trades blows with DIO, he specifically points out how the fight tore a hole in his pants. He also has an attachment to his hat. This implies he is either stingy or has a particular sense of fashion; the fact that he pointed out the price of his pants after DIO tore a hole in it seems to imply the former. DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLEEDIT Jotaro is positioned during this story as a role model, leader or teacher. Koichi and Josuke comment that his company is calming to them, with respect to the consistent threat exerted by emerging Stand users. Having matured, Jotaro isn't as foul-mouthed as he was, although he is still blunt and retains his annoyance towards girls making a fuss. Although his aloofness is still present, it has diminished somewhat over the years; meeting Tomoko Higashikata whilst looking for Josuke shortly after her father is killed by Anjuro, he tolerates her sudden clinginess when she mistakes him for Joseph, and offers some consolation for her father's death. He also admits to Koichi that he was glad to meet him, albeit privately. STONE OCEANEDIT In Part 6, Jotaro displays his typical serious attitude, but this is also paired with a passionate paternal protectiveness for his daughter Jolyne, although his past neglect has worsened their relationship. Another instance of his diminished stoic attitude, he tells his daughter that he loves and cherishes her, which would motivate Jolyne throughout their adventure. After he is "revived", Anasui, one of Jolyne's companions who is enthralled by her, asks Jotaro to approve his proposal to marry. Reacting first as though he spoke meaninglessly, when Jotaro sees Jolyne lean against Anasui's chest, he pulls her into his arms, protectively; leaving Jolyne clueless as to their interaction. During the final fight against Pucci, Jotaro's love for his family got the best of him, and he made the mistake of trying to both save Jolyne and kill Pucci, succeeding in neither and resulting in his death. JoJo Reference An all-star cover version of the song is found on the 2005 tribute album Numbers from the Beast, featuring Robin McAuley on vocals, Michael Schenker and Pete Fletcher on guitars, Tony Franklin on bass and Brian Tichy (Derek Sherinian, B'z) on drums.1617 The all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens recorded the song on their 2005 debut album, World's Only Female Tribute to Iron Maiden.18 Former Babes in Toyland singer and guitarist Kat Bjelland's Katastrophy Wife covered the song in their Heart On EP in 2007.19 The song was covered in 2008 by Sign on the tribute CD Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden released by Kerrang! magazine.20 The Swedish lounge metal band Hellsongs included a cover version on their 2008 album Hymns in the Key of 666.21In 2009, the eventual Swedish Idol 2009 series winner Erik Grönwall sang it during the live shows and released it as a single in the same year, which peaked at No. 23 in the Swedish Singles Chart.22 Progressive metal band Dream Theater covered the song live, along with the entire The Number Of The Beast album, and released it as an "official bootleg" in 2006.23 The song is also featured in the soundtracks of several video games, including SSX on Tour (2005) as the title's main theme,24 and Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned (2009).25 In addition, a cover version is featured in Rock Band (2007), in which it received an 'Impossible' difficulty rating,26 while the original version was made available via download in June 2009.27 Story Pocoloco is introduced as he notices the news of the race. While he is being arrested, the thief continues to harass Gyro. Gyro offers a duel; and after striking his shoulder with a Steel Ball, when the thief attempts still to shoot him, his arm twists, and he shoots himself dead. A man in a wheelchair observes that, incredibly, the Steel Ball was spinning throughout the event; and as he reaches and touches the same, still spinning Ball in Gyro's holster, he is raised to his feet. In narration, the man introduces himself as Johnny Joestar; continuing, "This story is the tale of my beginning to walk"; or his growing into maturity. Johnny reflects on his reason for coming to the race start line, and on his youth as a new horse-racing talent. An episode is recounted when he takes a date to see a play, and he cuts to the front of the queue. The man who had been waiting all night in there protests, and after Johnny bribes the doormen to remove him, he returns to shoot Johnny in the back. Johnny awakens in a dark hospital, and after crying out, an orderly beats him; revealing that his legs are paralyzed and that no one has visited, as the end of his fame. In the present; Johnny is amazed as he stands and then falls back into his wheelchair. Gyro leaves, and Johnny desperately pursues, demanding an explanation. Gyro tells him that it was a simple reflex; but, reaching out, just before or just as Johnny again touches a Steel Ball, his arm twists, and he is hung at his fingers on a nearby rafter. Johnny resolves to discover the truth of this "Spin", and to enter the race in Gyro's pursuit. 3 Hours to StartEdit September 25, 1890 - 3 Hours to Start Several hours before the beginning of the race, Gyro finishes preparing his backpack. Going out of his tent, he witnesses Johnny trying without success to mount a horse he bought. Despite being hurt and battered, he persists, picking Gyro's interest. Gyro then meets Sandman and indicates him where to go to subscribe to the race. Sandman participates to the Steel Ball Run claiming he win will the race by the strength of his legs alone. The last preparations for the race begin. Steven Steel presents to the crowd the Steel Ball Run trophy, and all the 3,652 riders align at the start line. Two minutes before the start of the race, Gyro sees Johnny's horse approaching him, Johnny dragged off on the ground. Impressed by his determination, Gyro then gives Johnny a hint to mount his horse without legs, Johnny makes Slow Dancer lower his head, and does a backflip along its neck. Just as the announcer declares the start of the race, Johnny is now properly mounting Slow Dancer. (FIRST RACE)EDIT First Stage: 15,000 MetersEdit At 10 A.M., September 25, 1890 the transamerican horse race Steel Ball Run begins. Steven invites his special guests to follow the first stage of the race in a specially prepared train. As the racers begin to move, Steel explains the particular rules of the race: the Steel Ball Run is divided into nine stages, separated by checkpoint cities, where the staff can record the order at which the horseriders arrive, and for illegal activity during the race; the first racer to finish a stage is granted a bonus in cash and a time bonus of one hour which he can use at the final stage, rewarding their skill during that stage. Gyro quickly jumps ahead of the group, following him closely are Diego Brando and Urmd Avdol, the latter of which confronts him physically with his camel, trying to push Gyro's horse Valkyrie down. Gyro throws one of his Steel Balls and lures Avdol into a cluster of cacti, causing him to fall off his camel and be disqualified from the race. Johnny watches the Steel Ball and sees that it revealed the cacti to Gyro well ahead, allowing Gyro to use them to his advantage. The Dried-Up River: Diego BrandoEdit Diego is the next racer to challenge Gyro's first place. At the public's amazement, Diego closes up to Gyro without accelerating. Johnny soon notices that he in fact decrypted Valkyrie's weakness. As Gyro watches behind him to his right, he's surprised not to see Diego anymore. Diego suddenly reappears right to Valkyrie's left. As Diego slowly gets ahead, he explains that Valkyrie, like all horse, has notable tics, in this case, every eight breaths, the horse deviates to the left, thus slowing down a bit. By only accelerating in that precise moment, Diego managed to catch up without exhausting his horse. Without the required expertise in horseracing, Gyro is then condemned to stay behind. However, as they pass a bridge over a dried up river, Gyro instead uses his Spin ability to stimulate Valkyrie's legs, making it leap forward beyond the normal capacity of a horse, getting ahead once again and destroying the bridge. Diego now unable to cross the bridge, falls behind as other racers get past him by going down the dried up river instead. Meanwhile, Pocoloco wakes up from a deep sleep, and realizes that he's late to the race. Quickly mounting his horse, his anxiety is shadowed by his amazement at how smooth the terrain was rendered by the thousands of horse racing on it. Pocoloco and the SandmanEdit Pocoloco is worried that despite the prediction of his incredible luck, him waking up late contradicts that prediction. He is however reassured as random strokes of luck happen to him and he joins the bottom racers. A group of racers stands before a canyon, having blindly followed Sandman. Being a risky shortcut, only Sandman and Pocoloco dare leap across it and both succeed, Sandman due to his climbing skills and Pocoloco thank Sandman's advice of using the lasso as a climbing rope. He then joins the bulk of the racers. At the 6,000 meters mark, Gyro decides to take a shortcut through a forest nearby, potentially gaining 800 to 1,000 meters at the risk of colliding with the trees and branches. Pocoloco and Johnny, as well as a group of racers, follow Gyro into the forest. As they enter it, Pocoloco chooses to close his eyes and accelerate. Crossing the ForestEdit Pocoloco has now an absolute trust in his luck and is convinced it will protect him as he crosses the forest. Several horseriders are thrown out of their horses, but Johnny and Pocoloco remains unharmed. His horse going at a higher pace, Pocoloco is in front of Johnny, who wrongly theorizes that Pocoloco trusts his horse's instincts not to collide with the branches. However, Johnny's superior horseriding skills allow him to get ahead. Disturbed, Pocoloco opens his eyes, only to have a branch apparently dismounting him. Yet, Gyro sees a horse slowly gaining terrain against him, Pocoloco, only partially dismounted, is being dragged on the ground, and his horse navigates all the more easily within the forest without its rider on it. Thus Pocoloco catches up to the frontrunner. Gyro uses his Steel Ball again to make a small tree spread open out of his path. The branches then return to their initial position, propping Pocoloco back on his horse in the process. Now out of the forest, Gyro is now challenged by Pocoloco as they begin to go down a natural inclination. Long, Long DownhillEdit The steep slope naturally forces any horse rider to slow down for fear of their horses tripping. Yet Pocoloco accelerates, confident in his luck and beginning to see his stand Hey Ya!. His horse does trip, only to land on a cow's corpse, and sliding down the slope on it. Since Pocoloco is now ahead of Gyro and gains ground without tiring his horse, preserving stamina which will be crucial in the final stretch, Gyro tries to stop Pocoloco toward a nearby cliff, hoping that the ensuing rockslide will be in Pocoloco's way. He fails, and also makes Sandman nearly trip, as the Indian suddenly appears ahead of the group climbing down the cliff. Another turnabout ensues as now Sandman takes the first place in that stage. The Final StretchEdit 2,000 Meters Left Until now blocked by a rock formation, Steven Steel and his guests' view of the race is restored. And they discover with incredulity that Sandman is the frontrunner, going at a speed comparable to that of a horse, and using his superior mobility in rocky terrain to take shortcuts. Steven provides an explanation of Sandman's running technique, which allows him to recycle the impact of his feet against the ground into energy for propelling himself forward, without damaging his legs. Now at the 3rd place, Gyro decides to make his horse sprint well ahead of the recommended distance after such a race, 1,500 meters from the finish line, surprising Pocoloco and taking second place. As the finish line appears on the horizon, the front runner's group forms itself. Johnny is caught up by Diego, who was using the other racer as air pressure shields and get ahead without tiring his horse. Johnny forcefully breaks the pressure barrier, to Diego's surprise at seeing a horserider of comparable skill of his. 1,000 Meters Left Diego stay close to Johnny, using him as an air pressure shield, but Johnny forcefully breaks away from him, using his horse to throw rocks at Diego while accelerating. The race is now a mad dash in which only the horse's power counts. From the rocky hills emerges Sandman, visibly tired but well ahead of the rest of the racers, who nonetheless catch up. Counseled by Hey Ya!; Pocoloco drifts to the left, using a branch as a springboard and leaping ahead of the group. Still, Gyro inexorably catches up to then seizes the first place, using his cape as a sail to catch the Santa Ana wind as a rear wind. The first stage finishes, a triumphant Gyro crossing the finish line first, in 18 minutes and 7 seconds. (INTERIM)EDIT (Bonus) How the Race Got StartedEdit Steven Steel's colorful past is explored. It is revealed that the Steel Ball Run race was first imagined by Lucy Steel, then a young girl who suggested the idea to a down-on-his-time Steel. Waking up from a drunken stupor, Steven is then approached by a group of sponsors who were interested in the event, and proposed to finance it, making Steven rich again. Grateful for Lucy, and realizing she looked like his first love, he proposes successfully to her. Disqualified from VictoryEdit The first stage ended, Gyro suddenly receives a penalty due to having endangered Sandman's life earlier in the race. He is relegated to the 21st place, receiving no points despite his victory. Steven Steel's agent also informs him that Gyro came from Italy, on a ship owned by a famous rich family, raising further questions about him. After exacting a petty revenge by ruining the party's campaign, Gyro accepts to have Johnny follow him and teaches him the first lesson of the Spin: what matters is the ball's rotation, the rotation is what caused the various effects witnessed up to this point; Gyro also teaches him to get down from his horse using the Spin. Meanwhile, Steven and his wife Lucy are brought to a crime scene, where three racers were violently eviscerated in the middle of the first stage. The Steel Ball Run's prize money has made the race a dangerous endeavor as an unscrupulous racer seems to target rival horse races in order to win. Sheriff's Request to Mountain TimEdit The local Sheriff has called Mountain Tim, a bounty hunter, to help. A short investigation leads Tim to suspect that the murderer didn't employ any ordinary method to kill the victims, and identifies their horseshoes. The second stage of the Steel Ball Run begins, this time, the racers have to cross 1,200 km of nothing but desert, where they will face the temperature and dehydration, how they cross it is up to them. Gyro diverts from the expected path, instead choosing to cross 150 km of the desert bypassing the first of the indicated water sources in order to win. Johnny has no choice but to follow him. The duo are then followed by fellow racer Mrs. Robinson. Across the Arizona DesertEdit In the middle of the Arizona Desert, Gyro and Johnny are stalked by Mrs. Robinson. Without any reason to think he's trying to attack them, they let him be. Suddenly Gyro and Johnny are attacked by chollas, explosive cacti which can propel their thorns at high speed. Slowly cornered by the attack, Johnny is violently dismounted and Gyro confronts Mrs Robinson, defeating him promptly with the same chollas. After finding Mrs Robinson's horse, Tim sees that he isn't the murderer as the horseshoes don't match. THE DESERT BORN OUTLAWSEDIT Marco's history is revealed, he was a humble servant caught when his lord was arrested and is to be executed for false charges of treason. At night, Johnny and Gyro make camp. Johnny manages to reproduce the rotation with the cork then accidentally discovers newspapers linked to Marco's execution. They are approached by Andre Boom Boom, who claims he's been bitten by a poisonous lizard and needs help. When Andre apparently dies, Gyro kicks his knife away. They are soon joined by Andre's father and brother Benjamin and L. A., and Gyro realized that his leg was magnetized by the stand Tomb of the Boom. After a brief fight, Gyro and Johnny manage to flee but are sprayed with Andre's blood. Benjamin disguises himself as Johnny Joestar, confronting Mountain Tim who reveals his Stand Oh! Lonesome Me. Benjamin successfully plants some of his blood on Tim and pushes him to think Johnny is the murderer. THE DEVIL'S PALMEDIT Mountain Tim catches up to Johnny and Gyro, and the three of them realize that they are affected by the magnetism. Tim presents his power he calls a Stand, which he acquired by stepping into a Devil's Palm, a moving phenomenon granting people Stands. Benjamin Boom Boom uses his Stand to immobilize them and kill them. But Johnny then awakens his own Stand Tusk, as they were in the Devil's Palm without realizing it. Johnny kills Benjamin and incapacitates L.A., who reveals that they were hired to kill Gyro and is promptly left in the desert. At Johnny's insistence, since Gyro is the cause of their troubles. He reveals his past to him. Gyro is a citizen of Naples, who learned the Spin from his father and worked as an executioner. GYRO ZEPPELI'S MISSIONEDIT Gyro objected at Marco's execution since he was unrelated to the crime, but he didn't have any way to stop it. One of the counselors he knew proposed him to participate to the Steel Ball Run race, as winning could bring Naples enough glory for the King to proclaim a general amnesty, otherwise the prize money was enough to pay for Marco's appeal. Gyro accepted. Oyecomova arrives at a relay village where the racers are supposed to register themselves. He realises that Gyro, Johnny and Mountain Tim have arrived before him. Mountain Tim confronts Oyecomova but is incapacitated by his Stand Boku no Rhythm wo Kiitekure's explosive power. Oyecomova reveals then that he is after Gyro's head. THE TERRORIST FROM A FARAWAY COUNTRYEDIT Oyecomova's past is discussed: he was a terrorist from Gyro's country and managed to escape to America. Upon hearing that Gyro would enter the race to represent Naples, he began to chase him down. The fight becomes a race toward the Zombie Horse, a healing item sent for Gyro. After a long pursuit up a river, a combination attack from Johnny and Gyro manages to take Oyecomova down, and the duo continue the race. InterludeEdit The exact circumstances leading Gyro to wanting to appeal to Marco's execution are unveiled. After a prisoner revolts and Gyro was forced to restrain her, Marco took his pouch and tried to fix it, at the other executioner's anger but Gyro realized that Marco didn't deserve his sentence, leading him to him participating to the Steel Ball Run race. In the present, Gyro and Johnny retrieve the Zombie Horse, and heal Gyro's leg injury with it. A flashback presents Joseph of Arimathea, a man who descended Jesus Christ from the Cross. Joseph of Arimathea drew a map depicting an unknown land and several points of interest, said map remained hidden in an abbey until it was stolen during the 16th century and its whereabouts became unknown. Johnny and Gyro are attacked by Fritz von Stroheim, who is quickly disposed of. Johnny is appalled at the frequency and violence of the attacks against them, saying that the money prize alone cannot justify these. Johnny suddenly realizes that his left arm contains a mummified arm. Stand Gyro is a cocky and flamboyant executioner marked by the harshness of life, who participates in the Steel Ball Run for the sake of a young boy. Gyro initially appears as a cocky and aggressive contestant in the Steel Ball Run. Unlike other competitors, Gyro looks to seize the first place aggressively, rushing ahead of everyone then fending off anyone who challenge him. Gyro is a rude man, deriding the vast majority of those he meets with insults and mocking commentaries. Even with his closest friend Johnny Joestar, Gyro doesn't mince his words and sometimes argue with him. The only person for which Gyro had any degree of respect is his stern father Gregorio Zeppeli. Gyro's cockyness and rudeness extend to his fights, during which Gyro is prone to mock his enemies in some way or say something cocky. However Gyro doesn't have the same ruthlessness as Johnny and initially doesn't seek to kill his enemies. Gyro is particularly proud of his mastery of the Spin, a family technique involving the rotation and throwing of steel balls to various effects and hails the Spin as the acme of human skill, this pride is latter justified when the Spin proves to be able to defeat even the Stand D4C - Love Train. Gyro nonetheless possesses an altruistic side, and likes to help anyone who needs his assistance, most notably the paraplegic Johnny to whom he taught the Spin technique and helped acquire the Holy Corpse Parts, or Marco, the helpless child whose death sentence Gyro seeks to appeal by winning the Steel Ball Run. Gyro would often clash this side with the authority of Gregorio Zeppeli, who disapproved any display of sentimentality in life and ultimately defied him by going to America. Early in the Steel Ball Run, Johnny has said that Gyro didn't have the drive and determination necessary to get things done. The jockey argued that because Gyro inherited everything he had as an upperclassman and heir of the family Spin technique, he didn't have the kind of selfish hunger born from suffering which was crucial in the race. True to that, Gyro Zeppeli initially raced out of altruistic concern for Marco, and primarily relied on tricks to prevail in the race. During his battle with Ringo Roadagain he bent his original motivations into a more personal goal, the path to see for himself whether Marco deserved to be executed and and who exactly the Corpse was. After that, Gyro switched to a slightly less cocky behavior, and focused seriously on his battles. In his horse riding, Gyro switched to a more personal style, instinctively choosing his own route instead of the "shortest path", enabling him to even outmatch Diego in the race. Out of combat, Gyro also possesses an eccentric personality, and is particularly flamboyant. Gyro has a penchant for gags involving puns or an inexplicable brand of humor, frequently telling such jokes to Johnny in the spur of the moment and created a song about cheese, singing it to Johnny and being happy that he appreciated it. He has a fondness for dramatic gestures and quotes, saying that the Goddess of Victory was riding with him and that she would retract her favor if he ever let another woman ride with him. Gyro is a womanizer, one flashback narrating an affair with a patient, and has tried to flirt with other women. However, mimicking his own father, Gyro can be stern and dignified when he talks about the Zeppeli Spin technique. The first time Gyro and Johnny meet Lucy, he refuses to let her ride with him and states that "no woman (will) ride my horse". He later explains that "Lady Luck" would be jealous if he let "another woman" ride with him. Heavily influenced by Gregorio's teachings about the uncertainties in life - using a " tennis ball over the net" metaphor - and the Steel Ball's power being nothing short of miraculous, Gyro has a somewhat optimistic outlook on life and is convinced that he can overcome setbacks, even if they'd need a miracle to overcome, as long as he follows a virtuous path. Nonetheless, following the "tennis ball over the net" belief, Gyro is aware that failure is just as likely. This ideology is repeatedly somehow confirmed with numerous coincidences and miracles helping him throughout his journey and alternatively working against him, culminating in Marco being freed without his intervention but dying of a cold later. FAMILYEDIT * Gregorio Zeppeli: Gregorio Zeppeli was Gyro's father, and was the only person to ever command respect and obedience to him. Their relationship was probably cold due to Gregorio wishing to throw away sentimentality from his life, thus never had a compliment for his son, nor did he give him gifts and send him letter. However Gregorio was still Gyro's Spin teacher and direct superior as surgeon and executioner, thus has authority over him, although Gyro still disobeyed him behind his back. FRIENDSEDIT * Johnny Joestar: Gyro and Johnny are friends and partners in the Steel Ball Run and also master and apprentice in the art of the Spin. At first Johnny's determination got Gyro's interest, causing him to help him figuring out how to mount his Slow Dancer and start the race. After the first stage, Johnny wins the respect of Gyro, thus Gyro decides to teach him the Spin and they become partners for the rest of the race. As the stages progress their friendship grows. Despite their opposing personalities, causing regular clashes as to how to take on a difficult situation, Gyro and Johnny ultimately get along well and share many moments of friendship, culminating in them telling each personal secrets. Gyro notably likes to jest with Johnny and tells him bad jokes or miscellaneous songs that Johnny frequently pretends to appreciate. Due to their regular battles, Gyro and Johnny fight well together, and see each other as valuable allies. Their friendship is such that any one is ready to put himself in danger for the other, and Johnny notably abandoned his Corpse Parts to save Gyro's life, and has cried multiple times for him. When Gyro died, Johnny was completely devastated and Valentine exploited that bond to promise Johnny that another Gyro would walk this universe. Gyro's ghost salutes Johnny one last time and the latter would bring back his corpse to the Zeppeli family. Gyro's continuous support helped Johnny get out of his depression and enabled him to begin anew. * Lucy Steel: Gyro and Lucy became allies, but Gyro had a cold attitude toward her, refusing her request of helping her and her husband and instead suggesting that she risked her life trying to steal the Heart from Valentine. Gyro nonetheless acknowledged her bravery and resourcefulness and entrusted the Right Eye with her, later asking Wekapipo to save her from Valentine. * Wekapipo: Despite meeting in the Steel Ball Run as long-standing enemies, Gyro and Wekapipo have a certain respect of each other's ability as both are proficient Spin users. Gyro revealed to Wekapipo that his sister was alive and well, having saved her life once. This revelation earned Gyro Wekapipo's help during the search for the Corpse Parts. * Mountain Tim: Gyro only saw Tim as a rival in the Steel Ball Run race, deriding his hat when he first saw Tim. However, both come to see as allies during the fights against the Boom Boom Family and Oyecomova. RIVALS EDIT * Diego Brando: Gyro and Diego are bitter rivals, as both repeatedely tried to outdo each others in the Steel Ball Run. Gyro thinks of Diego as the greatest threat for his goal of finishing first in the race and never ceases to antagonize or insult him. Diego won't hesitate to kill Gyro, but Gyro's moral code stops him from doing the same, and he only wishes to beat him up. * Hot Pants: As one of the competitor in the Steel Ball Run and a rival in the search for the Saint Corpse Parts, Gyro views Hot Pants poorly. Their first meeting consisted of Hot Pants attacking Gyro for wrong reasons, and Gyro never let up his antagonistic behavior after that, regularly insulting the horse rider and once stealing her food. Later on, Gyro remains in the dark about Hot Pants' true identity, while Johnny was able to forge a more understanding and sympathetic relationship. * Sandman: Gyro and Sandman are rivals in the Steel Ball Run race, but initially act friendly with each other. Sandman bore no ill will against Gyro and repaid being made winner of the first stage in Gyro's stead with critical information during the fourth stage. However, the next time they meet, Sandman now worked with Valentine and tried to force Gyro and Johnny to give their Corpse Parts, going as far as trying to kill them. Nonetheless, Sandman was merely indifferent to what he saw as the struggle between white men. * Pocoloco: Gyro thinks of Pocoloco as a dangerous rival and mistakes the latter's luck as talent, while Pocoloco sees Gyro as a mere stepping stone in the race. ENEMIES EDIT * Boom Boom Family: Gyro was initially cold and cautious to Andre Boom Boom, and he was later proven right to act in such a way as Andre, along with his brother and father, attacked. Gyro thinks the whole family as idiots, though holds regard for their dangerous Stand abilities. * Oyecomova: Oyecomova was an Italian assassin who attempted kill Gyro, Tim and Johnny, only to be defeated by their respective Stand powers. * Ringo Roadagain: * Funny Valentine: Category:Hulks Category:Gyro initially appears as a cocky and aggressive contestant in the Steel Ball Run. Unlike other competitors, Gyro looks to seize the first place aggressively, rushing ahead of everyone then fending off anyone who challenge him. Gyro is a rude man, deridin